Basics Of Clinical Research by Pharma Student

The Basics of Clinical Trials Dorothy M K Keefe MD FRACP Chairman Cancer Research Advisory Committee Cancer Council South Australia

What is a Clinical trial? ď&#x201A;§ A test of a new intervention or treatment on people

Why are Clinical Trials conducted in Cancer? ď&#x201A;§ To allow medical professionals and patients to gain information about the benefits, side effects and possible uses of new drugs as well as new ways to use existing drugs ď&#x201A;§ To translate results of basic scientific research into better ways to prevent, diagnose, or treat cancer

Why do we need them?  We need to know that any treatments we recommend are both safe and effective in humans  Cell culture and animal work can only take us so far!  Especially in Oncology, people are always looking for the miracle cure-and it is easy to get dragged into the idea  Scientific, medical, evidence-based paradigm

Types of Clinical Trials     

Treatment trials Prevention trials Early-detection trials/screening trials Diagnostic trials Quality-of-life studies/supportive care studies  Genetic trials

Types of clinical trial     

It can be a phase I, II or III trial It can be randomized or not It can be blinded or not It can involve a placebo or not And it can be a pilot study or not

Phase I

 15-30 people  Determines  what dose is safe  How the treatment should given  How the treatment affects the body  safety

Phase II  Less than 100 people  Determines  Whether the treatment does what it is supposed to  How the treatment affects the body  If the drug or intervention has an effect on the cancer  Does not compare with other treatments

Phase III  From 100 to thousands of people  Equal chance to be assigned to one of two or more groups  Determines  How the new treatment compares with the current standard  Or how it compares with placebo

Phase IV  From hundreds to thousands of people  Usually takes place after drug is approved to provide additional information on the drug’s risks, benefits and optimal use

Randomised Clinical Trials 

 

Equal chance to be assigned to one of two or more groups  One gets the most widely accepted treatment (standard treatment)  The other gets the new treatment being tested, which researchers hope and have reason to believe will be better than standard treatment All groups are as alike as possible Provides the best way to prove the effectiveness of a new agent or intervention

Randomisation

7 1

Control Group

8 6 2

Investigational group

Open versus Blinded Clinical Trials  Open Label clinical trials  The doctor and patient know which drug or vaccine is being administered  Blinded clinical trial  Single Blind: the patient doesn’t know which treatment he/she is getting  Double Blind: neither doctor nor patient knows

Placebo control ď&#x201A;§ The new treatment is tested against an inactive (or dummy) treatment that looks the same

Pilot Study  A small study that helps develop a bigger study  A first foray into a particular area  Used to iron out possible difficulties, and help with design of the bigger, more pivotal study.

Treatment Trials  Involve people who have cancer  Test new treatments, new combinations of drugs or new approaches to surgery or radiotherapy  Determine the most effective treatment for people who have cancer  Test safety and effectiveness of new agents or interventions in people with cancer

Prevention Trials  Evaluate the effectiveness of ways to reduce the risk of cancer or prevent the recurrence of cancer  Enroll healthy people at high risk for developing cancer  Assess new means of detecting cancer earlier in healthy people

Early detection/screening/diagnosis  Early-detection trials/screening trials  Test the best way to detect early cancer,  Pap smears, Mammograms  Blood tests, X-rays  Detect disease at an earlier stage, resulting in improved outcomes  Diagnostic trials  Develop better tools for classifying types and phases of cancer and managing patient care  Usually include people who have signs or symptoms

 Quality-of-life/supportive care studies  Aim to improve comfort and quality of life for patients and their families

 Genetic trials  Determine how one’s genetic makeup can influence detection, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment  Broaden understanding of causes of cancer  Develop targeted treatments based on the genetics of a tumor

What happens in a clinical trial?  Clinical research team check the health of the participant at the beginning of the trial, give specific instructions for participating in the trial, monitor the participant carefully during the trial, and stay in touch after the trial is completed.  Tests  Doctors visits  Frequent follow up

Who can participate in clinical trials? All clinical trials have guidelines about who can participate. Exclusion / inclusion criteria help produce reliable results Criteria based on factors such as  Age

/ Gender  Type and stage of disease  Previous treatment  Medical conditions

Do Many People Participate in Cancer Clinical Trials? ď&#x201A;§ Less than 5% of Adults with cancer participate in clinical trials

Barriers to Participation in Clinical Trials Physicians and other health professionals may:     

Be unaware of appropriate trials Be unwilling to lose control of patient’s care Believe that standard therapy is best Believe that clinical trials are more work Have concerns about the patient’s care or how the person will react to suggestion of clinical trial participation

Barriers to Participation in Clinical Trials Patients may:     

Be unaware of clinical trials Lack access to trials Fear, distrust, or be suspicious of research Have practical or personal obstacles Be unwilling to go against their physicians’ wishes

Benefits of Participation in Clinical Trials  At a minimum, the best standard treatment  Early access to new treatments. If the new treatment or intervention is proven to work, patients may be among the first to benefit  Participation in advancing medical knowledge. Patients have a chance to help others and improve cancer care  Active role in own health care  The medical team conducting the trial will carefully and regularly monitor the patient’s progress

Risks of Participation in Clinical Trials  New treatments or interventions under study are not always better than, or even as good as, standard care  Even if a new treatment has benefits, it may not work for every patient  Unpleasant, serious or even life threatening side effects  May require more time and attention than a nonprotocol treatment

How Are Patients’ Rights Protected?  Ethical and legal codes that govern medical practice also apply to clinical trials  Informed consent  Review boards  Scientific review  Institutional review boards (IRBs)  Data safety and monitoring boards

Informed Consent  Informed consent is a document designed to inform the patient of the purpose and design of a clinical study, possible side effects and benefits and if there are any other options. It should also include information on      

Voluntary participation Duration of trial Insurance and compensation Name and phone number of contact person Procedures Individual rights and confidentiality

Review boards  Scientific review  Panel of experts

 Institutional review boards (IRBs)  Qualified people to evaluate new and ongoing trials  All institutions that conduct clinical trials must, by law, have a IRB that approves the protocol

 Data and safety monitoring boards:  Ensure that risks are minimized  Ensure data integrity  Stop a trial if safety concerns arise or objectives have been met

Are they Ethical?  Yes, in general they are.  We (the scientific community) strive to make them so.  There are unscrupulous people (and companies) in any area  Guidelines make it easier for us to check up on ourselves!  Dr James will discuss

Are they safe?     

Yes (usually) There are stringent guidelines in place Safety and toxicity are closely monitored Trials have built-in stopping rules Subjects are indemnified

How can we tell they are done properly?    

The Declaration of Helsinki GCP guidelines Transparency and good communication Use of Institutional Ethics committees

So what do I personally do if I have an idea for a trial?      

Consider the question I want to answer Write a draft protocol Decide if it is a phase I, II, III or pilot study Write the Ethics Committee application Submit that Work out where funding will come from

RAH Cancer Centre Clinical Trials A wide variety of clinical trials are performed. These include phase I/II and III studies of new drugs, and ongoing program in supportive care and psychosocial research

The Protocol  A study plan on which all clinical trials are base (recipe or blueprint)  Provides background about the trial  Describes trial’s design and organisation  Ensures that trial procedures are consistently carried out  Each study enrolls people who are alike in key ways

The Sponsor  Sponsor can be    

Pharmaceutical company Co-operative group (NHMRC, TROG, NSABP) Another Investigator Foundation

 Responsibilities of the sponsor     

update available data liaise with the appropriate regulatory bodies communication between trial centre and sponsor monitoring trial at the site ensuring all data collected

The Investigator  Profile    

Adequate qualifications to conduct research in a given area Necessary resources Sound knowledge of the investigational drug and protocol Sound knowledge of GCP

 Responsibilities      

training of staff ethics submission facilities and equipment resources for data collection informed consent reporting of serious adverse events

The Clinical Trials Nurse    

Patient education Emotional support Management of side effects Source documentation    

Vital signs Adverse events - CTC Protocol deviations ECOG Performance status

The Clinical Trial Coordinator or Data Manager  Responsible for the collection, handling, manipulation, tracking and quality of the data.  Ensure  clinicians adhere to the protocol,  trial patients receive the therapy dictated by the protocol,

 provide support to the patients  All in accordance with Good Clinical Practice (GCP)

What should you consider before joining a clinical trial  What is the purpose of the study?  Why do researchers believe the new treatment being tested may be effective?  What kinds of tests and treatments are involved?  How do the possible risks, side effects, and benefits in the study compare with my current treatment?  How long will the trial last?  Who will pay for the treatment?  How will I know that the treatment is working?  Can I leave the study after it has begun?

How do you find out about Clinical Trials?     

Oncologist NCI Web site www.cancer.gov NHMRC Web site www.ctc.usyd.edu.au National Breast Cancer Centre www.nbcc.org.au RAH Cancer Centre www.rah.sa.gov.au/cancer/medical1.php